Works With Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 & Mac OS X

Whether it’s just getting another laptop online, juicing up your Playstation 3 with some much needed internet or jamming on Xbox Live, you need to get internet from point A to point B.

While the 1st steps are practically identical I’ve grabbed the best tutorials around, put together screenshots and thrown in videos to show you how to share mobile broadband with any Laptop, PC or Mac.

The beginning steps are fundamentally the same for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7.

Towards the end, the steps differ slightly. Screenshots are provided to illustrate the differences (along with jumplinks to get to relevant sections when needed).

While the OS below is Vista, the steps are practically identical for Windows 7 and very similar for Windows XP. For now, let’s start with what you’ve got to do regardless of which configuration you’re going for (specific setup steps come a little later):

1. Click on Start Button

2. Control Panel

3. (search for Network) click on Network and Sharing Center

4. Under tasks, click on Manage Network Connections (not to be confused with manage wireless networks)

The setup for sharing via ethernet & sharing via ethernet into a wireless router differ in only the final step. Instead of plugging the cable into a second laptop or PC, you simply plug it into your wireless router to broadcast the connection via WiFi.

Continuing from where we left off:

8. Check the box “Allow other users to connect through this computer’s connection”

9. There should be a drop down box that lets you select the Local Area Connection (it will appear in the ‘home networking connection’ box below that has wireless network connection. Click ok twice (until boxes are gone).

10. To start using the connection you’ll need to close your mobile broadband connection and then restart it.

11. Plug the ethernet cable into the second computer and start browsing the net.

Extra step for Wireless Routers:

*11. Plug the ethernet cable into the ‘internet’ socket of your wireless router to begin broadcasting the connection via WiFi.

One caveat to this method is that it requires that your laptop be ‘on’ to use the connection. If that’s not your cup of tea, then you may want to check out a personal hotspot like the Sprint or Verizon MiFi (it broadcasts its 3G connection via a built-in WiFi radio)

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Like this article? It’s part of the free “Mobile Broadband Buyer’s Guide”.

If you haven’t signed up already, take 30 seconds and do it now. Rather than doing it yourself, take a guided tour through essentials of mobile broadband. It’ll save you time, money all while avoiding buyer’s remorse.

Sure you could search yourself but do you really wanna go through 180+ pages?

An adhoc WiFi connection isn’t the same as a regular WiFi connection. As such, some devices (notably WiFi enabled smartphones) may not be able to detect the network to connect. Laptops, however, don’t usually have much of a problem.

8. Check the box “Allow other users to connect through this computer’s connection”

9. There should be a drop down box that lets you select the Wireless Connection as the way you wish to share. Click ok twice (until boxes are gone)

*phew…breathe if you’ve come this far. Might not take long but it feels that way typing this.

10. Return to the Network and Sharing Center.

11. In the left hand column under Tasks, select “Set up a connection or network”.

12. Click Setup a Wireless Ad Hoc (Computer to Computer) network

13. Give it a name

14. Select form of encryption. Can be anything but for sake of security let’s say it’s WPA2-Personal. If you choose it to be so, it must be a 8 characters or more. Let’s make one up (please be more creative than I was).

15. Back to Network and Sharing Center. Click on manage wireless networks. You should see the network you created. If it says waiting on users to connect…then your friend’s laptop should be able to see it, put in the password and hop on.

If it can’t see it, then double click the ad hoc network on your computer to “connect to it” (activating it) then see if she can see it. Also, if it’s not working, you may need to disconnect the broadband adapter and reconnect it.

And there you have it. You’re good to go.

I’ve found this to be really helpful if I have a friend come over. I usually have one setup and share the password with them. For them, it’s just like looking for a WiFi network.

What’s great about it is that it’s actually a bit safer than WiFi because the area that your laptop can broadcast is much smaller (about the size of a living room). In other words, snoopers from the street or next door can’t sniff out your connection.

Found this article helpful?
Like this article? It’s part of the free “Mobile Broadband Buyer’s Guide”.

If you haven’t signed up already, take 30 seconds and do it now. Rather than doing it yourself, take a guided tour through essentials of mobile broadband. It’ll save you time, money all while avoiding buyer’s remorse.

Sure you could search yourself but do you really wanna go through 180+ pages?

If you haven’t signed up already, take 30 seconds and do it now. Rather than doing it yourself, take a guided tour through essentials of mobile broadband. It’ll save you time, money all while avoiding buyer’s remorse.

Sure you could search yourself but do you really wanna go through 180+ pages?

Once I’m connected, I configure the ethernet connection to “Using DHCP with manual address” and 10.0.0.1 and deleted the DNS Server entries and hit Apply. At this point the left side of the Network window shows I’m connected via my cell phone but Ethernet still shows “Not Connected.”

Back on the Sharing Sys Pref window, it says to “Share your connection from Qualcomm CDMA Technologies MSM” To computers using “Airport.” How can I add a port, specifically ethernet? I thought it would automatically show me all options. I can get Ethernet to show as a port but only when I’m disconnected from VZAccess Manager…

Many thanks in advance if you can shed any light on this… Lowell Mills

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In short, I'll try help you do your due diligence so let's be cool. Please don't sue me.